An NHS Lothian GP practice has become one the first in Scotland to begin delivering community COVID vaccinations to the over 80s.
Pentland Medical Centre in Currie today (7 January) welcomed groups of patients, all aged 80 or over, to receive their first dose of the recently approved Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.
Staff at the Medical Centre have been busy making the final preparations to support the vaccine delivery and are incredibly excited to begin this important step.
Pauline Hutton, Practice Manager explained that the whole team feel like they are playing a part in history. She said, “To all of us within the practice, this feels like Christmas. There is a real sense of anticipation, excitement and hope. We are delighted to begin vaccinating our patients and look forward to welcoming all those who are eligible at this stage over the coming weeks.
“We will be in touch directly with our patients, inviting them in for a vaccination appointment and we would encourage everyone who is eligible, to please attend.”
Hot on the heels of Pentland Medical Centre, Armadale Medical Practice will begin its over 80s vaccine roll out from the weekend.
With age being the greatest risk factor for serious illness and death from COVID-19, the first priority group for the vaccine are residents in care homes for older adults and their carers, people aged over 80 and frontline health and social care workers.
Already across NHS Lothian, over 20,000 vaccines have been delivered to front line staff within NHS Lothian, the four Health and Social Care Partnerships and for staff in both private and Council run care homes. This is in addition to the continued roll out of vaccines to care home residents across the region.
David Small, Director of Primary Care Transformation and the COVID Vaccination Project Lead at NHS Lothian said, “It is fantastic to see the first GP practices delivering COVID vaccinations to the over 80s. This is the beginning of a nationwide rollout which will commence from Monday 11 January.”
With the vaccine being seen as a critical factor in helping life return to normal, Mr Small recognises that people across the country will be eager to know when they will receive their vaccinations.
He added, “The COVID vaccine offers a beacon of hope, in what has some been truly difficult times. Across Lothian, we are working tirelessly to make sure that we can deliver the vaccine to each of the relevant groups when they are due to receive it.
“This is a huge task and won’t happen overnight, which is why we urge the public to please be patient with this process. The message however is clear: you will receive your vaccination, but this has to be done in a systematic way, to ensure that those who are most vulnerable are prioritised.”
Lothian MSP Miles Briggs said: “This is excellent news and will bring real hope to people that the end of full lockdown is in sight and will provide elderly people receiving the vaccine with protection in the community.
“GP practices will be central to the rollout of the vaccine, which Pentland Medical Practice and Armadale Medical Practice are showing a great example of leading the way.
“The whole of Lothian has made a huge effort and sacrifices to minimise the spread of the virus and it is vital we all continue to social distance with a full vaccine rollout to people at risk on the horizon.”
All those aged 80 or over will receive a letter or phone call inviting them forward for their vaccination and advising them where and when they can get it. The vaccine requires two doses to offer the best possible protection, with second dose appointments being scheduled for around twelve weeks after the first dose is administered.
Delivery of the COVID vaccination across Lothian is aligned to the prioritisation schedule outlined by the JCVI, and communicated by the Scottish Government. Through the adoption of this approach, it will help to ensure that the most vulnerable receive protection first.
Plans for the further wide scale vaccination roll out are in the final stages and as soon as this information is available it will be widely communicated to the public.
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